


In Hot Waters

by TheDarkFlygon



Series: Naeggnog Live Fics [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Next Gen AU, Nurse-cosplaying Natsumi Kuruzyuu, Sickfic, post-dr3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 22:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 15,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10626843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkFlygon/pseuds/TheDarkFlygon
Summary: (Errrh this is a fanfic about CapnDirosso's next gen AU so... Yeah)Kazuki, the SHSL Detective of his Hope's Peak class, investigates on weekends. It's usually more boring than a lesson about bridge structure.But then rain got involved, and his childhood friend Natsumi too.Not to mention uncovering a huge part of his parents' teenage years.[This fanfic is being written for CapnDirosso's Discord server about their next gen AU. As such, Kazuki, Natsumi, Mei and Hikari don't belong to me.





	1. Meaningless yet Meaninful Case

nother school-less day, another case. The vast majority of cases involved non-lethal crimes, mostly robberies. In a rather peaceful city, especially after The Most Tragic Event in Human History had taken place, murders weren't so numerous. And most of them weren't given out to a teenager in high school, despite said detective being both registered and the next detective in a legacy of detectives (well, mostly detectives).

Basically, Kazuki Naegi was a not-so-ordinary student with a more ordinary life: school, investigations, some more invastigating on unsolved and closed-down murders and trying to get his two best friends to go along.  
And this Sunday was no different. It was a murder, which made it more interesting than the countless "follow spouse to know if client is being cheated on" propositions he would get. Well, the weather was awful, but at least he didn't have to follow Mr. X in his daily life.

It didn't change anything to the fact that he was drenched in rain, in the middle of the darkest, most suspicious alley, inspecting a corpse whose blood had already been washed away. At least, the white lines weren't so washed away. Someone had thought about how cray was also easy to get off when water was involved.  
Horrible weather, decent case. He still insisted on how better it was to Mr. X's cheating life.  
The smell of weed didn't help his mind to ignore the drug-motivated intuition he had going on in his mind. It was too easy to look at a corpse in a dark alley and think "well, the dude must have owned some dealer money and it ended in a bloodbath". There had to be something more.  
That was until authorities found drug at the victim's place.  
Lame.

Kazuki knew it was the end of the invistigation part of the case. Everything was too obvious: murder weapon, mobile, modus operandi. He only had to get some files and the culprit would be found by only studying some drug network links. Maybe he should have studied on unresolved murders today too. He would have avoided the disappointment of finding out the simplicity of this new case.  
It seemed like his day had planned to throw a surprise at him in the person of Natsumi Kuruzyuu, his (somewhat vulgar) childhood friend. As soon as she saw him, she got angry. 

"Kazuki, you idiot! What are you doing here without an umbrella?! Did you just happen to never look at a window?!"  
Oh, that was why.  
"Nice to see you, Natsumi..."

She put the umbrella over both of them.  
"Don't get surprised if you're sick as a dog tomorrow."  
They walked in silence, presumably to their dorm.  
"So, uh... How's this case going?"  
"The guy probably owed some other guy drug money. It'll be even quicker to solve if there are still finger prints present on the knife forgotten there."  
"Lame! The dude didn't even think about, I don't know, not getting caught. You must be so bored with those lame-ass cases!"

And so they arrived at their dorm while making small-talk. It was one thing he was somewhat better than his mother at doing, quite the pleasing feeling.  
He was about to go back into his room when he heard Natsumi still screaming at him.  
"And next time it rains don't forget to bring your umbrella, you wet idiot!!"  
Was she the SHSL Insult-Throwing Machine? It seemed like this title would fit her perfectly.

And so went this Sunday: school work and then some more work on unresolved cases. Ordinary but an efficient way to spend some time. It would have been better if his head wasn't dizzy when he had ended his case closed work. It may have been some fatigue. And he didn't even dare to imagine Natsumi's insults if he was to ever collapse for that.  
Yes, it was time to go to bed.


	2. Mondays Suck Anyway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay so if you need to know one thing, it's that Seigi Midorin is an OC I still need to develop, and is supposedly from a Non-Despair AU 79th Class.  
> But instead she fills a role I was too dumb to think for correctly.  
> Also welcome to Febris 2: Nextgenlicious Boogaloo.
> 
> (If you haven't noticed, my chapter names are pretty dumb.)

Monday mornings weren't as painful nor despairing to Kazuki as they were to the majority of the student population of this dorm.  
Well, they weren't usually as painful at least.

He had a such a headache, he could swear something was hammering a nail into his head. It may just be the late night studying session. Whatever was the reason, he just hoped for the best: it would go away and not disturb his class day.  
Who was he kidding? He was going to fall asleep on his table again.

In class he met up with someone else that showed dark rings, a friend of his, Seigi Midorin. The girl was the SHSL Linguist, and if she wasn't talking about a language's grammar, she was just speaking in that language. It could go from Japanese to Swalili. That girl was weird. 

"Ave, Naegi! How's it goin'?"  
"Hi Midorin..."  
"Have you pulled out an all-nighter again?"  
"No, not this time..."  
She instantly went quiet and thought for a few seconds.  
"Dude, you look wasted. What happened? Was yesterday's closed cases too much to handle for you?"  
"No, not at all... My head just happens to hurt..."  
"No, really, you look awful today. You should see the nurse."  
"It's going to be okay, Midorin, just... Just avoid speaking too loudly."  
"I... I'm not screaming Naegi."

He looked at her, a cynical look on his face and a funny feeling in his throat.  
"You're not realizing it, as usual..."  
"If I was screaming about how awful you look, everyone would have turned around. I'm not speaking loudly, Naegi."  
"We have a test today anyway, we should focus on that..."  
"It's on tomorrow, Naegi."  
"Oh, huh..."  
"You need to see the nurse."

The school bell rang just in time for Midorin to be shut up. At last. She was really getting hard to reply to at the end.  
"I still insist you should see a nurse."  
And so class started. A new session of trying not to fall asleep in class while having to deal with Midorin's insistant glaze every two seconds.

Okay, maybe Midorin was right after all. His head was pouding and he was barely retaining a urge to cough by clearing his throat at the speed of a machine gun.  
"Hey, Naegi, you're sick."  
Oh, not her again.  
"M-Midorin, I'm not sick...!"  
She faced him, a confused look on her face.  
"I didn't say anything, Naegi. You should know I don't whisper to people's ears when it's History class."

Great. Just great. He was now hallucinating words out of his neighbor's mouth.  
It only got worse when he broke down into a coughing fit.  
Shit.  
"But you're sick, indeed."  
Shut up...

"T-this isn't what you t-think it is Midorin!"  
"Shut up! If you scream like this, the teacher wil..."  
"The teacher will what?"

And now in front of them was their History teacher, a book in her left hand. Midorin froze as soon as she realized. He just coughed.  
"Is there something wrong?"  
"He's sick."  
"I'm not!"  
"You are."  
"I-I'm not!! I-I swear!!"

The teacher simply tilted her head, made a strange face and went back to the desk.  
"She doesn't seem to care about that. Not that your act was convincing or anything."  
"I-I'm telling you, I'm not sick...!"  
"You're a little out of character today, wouldn't you say? Are you pretending to be stoic?"  
"I-I'm not...!"  
Midorin just smirked.  
"Yeah, give up right now, I'm bringing you to the nurse's office."

He didn't even time to respond, both embarrassed and fighting against... Chills. Everything was just so good today.  
A hand rose in the air while his vision was getting blurried.  
"Midorin? Care to tell us when Julius Caesar died? Or how?"  
His classmate was clearly taken aback. Maybe she wasn't expecting to match a question.  
"Erh... In -44, during the Ides of March, stabbed with twenty-three knifes by the other Senators!"  
"Very good!"  
She sighed in relief.

"Tcch, you got saved by that question about Caesar!"  
"Then why don't you raise your hand again...?"  
"You're amazingly stupid when you're sick dude."  
Her expression, or rather what he could see of it while his vision was blurrying, changed.  
"Naegi, you're falling out..."  
Her eyes opened wide as they left his sight.  
"You're actually falling?!"  
And then... Black?


	3. Surprise Visitors! (or so they thought)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention chapter length fluctuates more than the fucking economy.

When he woke up (wait, that meant he had passed out?), Kazuki could only see white.   
Oh, great, the nurse's office, wasn't it? She had dragged him there after all.  
He slowly got up, the headache even more unbearable than before. "Incovenience" was a softer way to put it.   
Putting a hand on his head confirmed he had something cold and wet on his forehead. And then his fears and Midorin's ones had came true.   
Fucking great, really.

"Oh, you're awaken, at last!"  
A tan woman with grey eyes spinned around on her desk chair to face him, before getting closer to the bed.  
"Your classmate told me you passed out cold in class. I'm surprised you even made it to class, really."  
Her smile was disgustingly energic, even if he was sicker than embarrassed now.  
"Open your mouth, I need to take your temperature again."  
He just obeyed. There was no use in denying he was sick as a dog, or pushing away the nurse.

The thermometer beeped strangely fast. She took a look at it.  
"Hmm, it barely went down."  
"How high is it..."   
And then he coughed. What in the world had he caught?  
"Around forty. Which is always too much to attend class, don't cha think?"  
"..."  
That was the jackpot, really. The only thing that could be worse was...

"KAZUKI!!"

And now came Natsumi.   
Of course, she couldn't have been alone. She had to be with Mei and Midorin, who was probably the one to had informed them. At least, the nurse was going to reject them, wasn't she? They couldn't see him like that.

 

"Oh, huh, you're all here to check up on him, am I right?"  
Dumbfounded nurse in front of three girls (well, mostly Mei and Natsumi. Midorin was just... There). This wouldn't end well.

Mei was definitely nervous while Natsumi just seemed as pissed off as she could be.  
"That's right!! Can we see him?!"  
"P-please...?"  
Everything was so weird.  
"You're not coming?" asked the nurse to the third one.   
Actually, the only way he knew it was Midorin was the obvious fact she would warn them. Somehow.  
"No, I'll let him have his girls. Maybe later."  
And so she left. The cynical, borderline bizarre one out of the way, he had to deal with the other two.

The nurse eventually let his two friends coming in.   
"What did I tell you about going outside under pouring rain without an umbrella, you goddamn dumbass!! Now you're even sicker than a fucking dog!"  
Mei seemed bothered.  
"S-stop screaming, you're not making anything better that way..."  
"Someone has to write in his brain it was stupid as fuck!!"  
"As if screaming was going to help..."  
And then they glared at each other. Couldn't they get along for at least one second there?

"Anyway, this isn't so important. How are you feeling, Kazuki?" asked Mei in the most quiet of voices.  
"Bad I suppose..."   
"Of course! You fucking passed out in class! What is wrong with you?!"  
Good question.  
"Right now, we should focus on his health, not why he went to class like that."  
Mei then turned to the nurse.  
"Do you have any idea of what it could be?"

"It's a bad case of flu. Nothing to fear if it gets treated correctly."  
"I have doubts on that..." muttered Natsumi under her breath.  
"However, it means I'll have to send you home."  
Kazuki bolted out of the bed. Not that. Not being sent back to his family while he was that sick.  
"I-I can take care of that...!"  
The nurse looked away, embarrassed.  
"Your... Your father is kind of everyone's superior here... I don't want problems..."

Getting scoled at by Natsumi was a thing. Getting scolded out by his parents (well, mostly his mother) was another.   
It seemed like there was no bailing out of this one.   
"I... I... I..."  
Natsumi took him by surprise and shoved him into the sheets.  
"You stay there like a kind puppy and stop your bullshit."  
He was unusually soft to be shoved down in there that easily. Being dizzy probably didn't help his case either.


	4. Feverish Dialogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've reached the point where having read my other fanfic "Febris-Induced Case" is almost necessary to fully understand what is going on, as I'm a dumbass who referenced her fanfic in there and let it snowball into a mess.

And so he was there, at square minus one. Kazuki knew the situation could get worse after that point: the way things worked at Hope's Peak meant the administration would sooner or later know about what had happened only to jusfity he wasn't skipping class.  
At the head of the administration, the headmaster.  
The problem would be inexistant if the headmaster wasn't his own father.

Again, Natsumi being right and insulting him over and over again was one thing. Midorin had only made it harder.  
But damn, did he not want to see his father when he was laying in the nurse's office, powerless, at the mercy of his father and... His mother.   
The situation only got worse the more he was thinking about it.

"I... I can go home on my own..." he pleaded to the nurse, once again on her paperwork.  
"Are you crazy? I'm gonna be fired if I was to ever send you home in your condition! Nah, your father's gonna get you. He's there anyway."  
Yes, great, everything was just great  
"Moreover, you're so dizzy you couldn't even reach your dorm room! I don't want that to happen!"  
She wasn't totally wrong, he did feel like utter crap.

A knock made him jump.  
He wasn't ready.

The nurse opened the door to a brown-haired man dressed in a suit.  
"Y-yes Sir? How can I help you?"   
The nurse sure seemed shaky all of a sudden. He would have never guessed the headmaster had such an influence on the people working for the school.

"Could you leave me alone with K... With him for a bit?"  
He was trying way too hard not to say his son's name. His own voice seemed shaky. Kazuki was starting to think it may had been his hearing failing on him at the worst (or best?) moment.

"S-sure, you can go ahead..."  
The nurse, despite being much taller than the headmaster (at the latter's credit, she was tall to begin with), just left without a word her own office.  
This had to be serious business.

And so the (little) man entered the nurse's office. As soon as Kazuki could get a glance at his face, he almost froze.   
Anger, worries, whatever. All he knew was that he was about to go through a bad time.  
In full silence, his father just took a chair to put next to his bed. It stayed as an heavy statu quo, barely interrupted by some cough on his part.

His father, who had his head pointing to the ground before, looked at him.  
"Why did you do that?"  
If he was asking directly for his reasons, it could only mean a thing: reinforced control and no more dorm life.  
"I... Needed to attend class... That's all..."  
His face got more stern.  
"Are you sure about that? Don't lie to me, Kazuki."  
"Yes, I'm sure..."  
Actually, he couldn't think of a reason why he had done so. All he knew was how badly he wanted to go back in time and grab an umbrella.

The parent folded his arms across his chest, but looked away.   
"If you hide it from your mother or me, it's..."  
He paused, taking an embarrassed look.  
"You took that from me I suppose..."  
"What do you mean...?"  
His fever wasn't enough to make him not want to learn more. It seemed as if it was about to get suddenly personal.

An embarrassed chuckle got out of the older one's mouth.  
"I once tried to do that too, I tried to help out your mother in a case. It didn't end so well for me..."  
"You mean..."  
"Yeah, I was sick too and I passed out in the middle of the street... I didn't want the same to ever happen to you or your sister, but it seemed like you did so anyway..."  
He shook his head.  
"I mean, you can't do that. It's bad for you. If only I knew you could so such reckless things..."

Youthful errors projected onto him. It felt weird. He was usually compared to his mother, not so much to his father. What a bizarre day.

"It's okay, Dad, everything's fine... It's just the flu..."  
His father got a shade paler.  
"I... I can't let it happen to you. I'm bringing you home right now."  
The sudden shift in tone caught him off guard.   
This youthful error seemed to be much more than "just" passing out in the middle of the street from a terrible fever.


	5. SHSL Intriguing Notebook

And there he was, back in his family's home, all alone with his seemingly paranoid father. He had gotten every single sick episode cliché: the pack of ice, the washcloth, the thermometer, the medicine... If the nurse hadn't diagnosed him before (rumor said she was a previous SHSL Doctor), he would have called a doctor to do the job.   
"I need to go back to work. If you need anything, you call me on my cellphone. Hikari comes back from school at around four, don't be surprised if you hear some noise. And don't get out of bed!"  
His father seemed strangely obsessed, but there was no bailing out of there.  
He felt too much like shit to get up anyway.

So, if he had to make it short, there was Kazuki's supposedly ordinary Monday: he had caught the worst case of flu ever, he was bad at keeping up a façade against a weird linguist, Natsumi and Mei scolded him too and now his father behaved strangely.  
He needed to learn more about this "flu" from God knew when.

Well, the research took him a few hours of dozing in-and-off. Once he had gotten better (as in, his headache wasn't as pouding as it had been before), Kazuki got out of bed, heading to his mother's secret garden.   
If only she knew he had discovered it.

He knew his mother used to keep a diary from the day she started her detective formation to God knew when. There must had been some tale of what had happened on that day somewhere.   
He had to make it as quick as possible, even in his condition, to find everything out before his parents and sister came back from school. He didn't want his father to know he had gotten out of bed.

His main problem was when it could had happened. Searching for a specific diary without knowing in which year it had happened would make it difficult to...   
As he was thinking so, his eyes landed on one suspisciously different notebook. Its cover was green instead of the usual brown. Curious as ever, Kazuki grabbed it to read its first page.

When he opened the notebook, its first page contained a weird surprise.  
"To give back to Naegi one day"  
Okay, maybe the "my father once passed out in the street from a terrible fever" investigation was less intriguing than this single notebook. He decided to take it back to his room. He was still shivering, after all.

Once back into bed, putting back on his washcloth for extra "my dad is a paranoiac freak all of a sudden" precautions, Kazuki opened the notebook again.  
This handwriting was clearly his mother's. It could mean this had been written back when they weren't dating, even before they had started calling each other by their first name.   
This book seemed so much older by the sheer thought of something like that.

The first thing that struck was how... Lovey-dovey this book was. It was weird to imagine his mother, usually sporting a stoic persona, drawing hearts on the pages. That may had been one reason why she had never given the book back to his father.

"Kizuisen, day 1: when investigating on the Kizuisen robbery case, Naegi passed out. It appears as if he was sick all along. It's quite worrisome, I didn't think he was. I have to bring back to Hope's Peak."  
Oh, so they had been investigating on a case before his father had passed out. Interesting.

"Update: Maizono spotted us in the corridors as I was bringing him back to the dorms. She asked questions I didn't have the answers too. It felt so weird... I don't really understand what's going on anymore..."

"Update 2: Naegi showed up at my room's door, half-conscious. It's surprising how he can be so stubborn. I'm scared for his health now, he doesn't seem to be the type to let it down and sleep his illness off. Maizono screamed at him about how reckless it was and then he passed out again. I need to keep an eye on him."

Maizono... It rang a bell. If he was correct, she was one of his parents' classmates at Hope's Peak, who died in the School Killing Life before (apparently) being reborn as a crane. 

As he could gather, it was mostly about his father doing stupid things while sick when his mother and this Maizono girl had to keep him to his bed.  
It had been a bit funny to read such shenanigans, knowing for a fact his father had gotten over it years before, but tension was to be found in an uncertain writing style.

He could only understand when one update came up.

"It turns out Naegi hid many things from both Maizono and me, mostly about how sick he actually was. He told me he was... Trying not to make me worry. He's too selfless for his own good. I'll watch over him while he's vulnerable. It's the only way I can repay him back. I can barely believe he did something so reckless yet so touching. (there was a heart there, probably for emphasis)"

His parents had indeed been lovebirds even back then. The heartwarmth came to a brutal end when his father's paranoia got justified out of the blue.  
"Update: It turns out Naegi has pneumonia. I strongly suspect it got worse because of him taking upon himself and not caring nearly enough about his health. He goes though such a bad time I can't afford not to pay as much attention as I can to him. I hope he'll get better very soon..."

Then everything became clear.  
His father didn't want him to go through what he had all those years ago.  
He didn't even know if he continued reading it or closing it, asking his parents about that himself.  
After a few minutes, he decided what was to be kept secret had to be, for once. He got resolved to ask his parents directly.


	6. Family Ties

Actually, time was flowing so slowly his curiosity got the best of him.  
He would continue reading this special notebook, hidden under his blanket his case his father paid him a surprise visit.

Even if his parents would be angry at him reading what he wasn't supposed to know about, he was sure they wouldn't tell all the truth.   
His curiosity really was taking the best of him.

After a few lovely words, along with more hearts, and some jealousy showing towards Maizono (oh the irony), he reached a part his parents would have never told him, for sure.

"Naegi, in what seemed to be a fever delirium, started to hug me all of a sudden. I was caught so off guard all my feelings must have shown in front of a laughing Maizono. He... Told me that he loved me. It's hard to believe, but I answered "me too". It was really weird. Maybe it was just because of his fever, so I need to keep my guard up. I can only hope it came from the inside."

Kazuki could only imagine his father as a literally lovesick teenager playing with his mom in her teen years' braid. It was funnier than what he had expected.  
Everything was so much different yet so similar to his current situation, it was bizarre yet fascinating.

However, between two chuckles because his parents were complete dorks, he could feel shivers down his spine.  
Imagining himself in his father's shoes. If he wasn't careful, it could be him. And the sheer imagination of coughing up rust-colored phlegm happened to be disgusting, even when he was investigating corpses from time to time.

He closed the book as soon as he heard the entrance door move.  
Hikari couldn't see this. Not at all.

Now that he was thinking about it... Did she even know he was there, supposedly bedridden?   
He couldn't risk her to find out about it. Maybe it was selfish from his part. But this needed to be kept under wraps.  
"Borrowing" his mother's notebook was already quite a thing to do.

He heard the TV turning on downstairs. It seemed like she didn't know he was there.  
Until he would hear footsteps in the stairs, he would read the notebook.

So, where was he? Oh, right, his father's feverish delirium from decades ago.  
The situation was getting more complicated in what looked like a love triangle. His mom was in love with his dad, and the latter had confessed his love (well, feverish, but still), but it seemed as if Maizono was in love with him too. Did it end up in a threesome once upon a time?  
He could only read further to know.

And at the same moment he wondered if he hadn't almost been the lovechild of a teenage idol, other info came up.  
"I spotted Maizono and Naegi talking about this declaration. It was meant, just not at the right moment. While I feel reassured about that, Maizono trying to fool me is another story. She had good reasons to do so I suppose, but I still feel somewhat angry at her. I'm far more worried about how Naegi's condiition can get worse in a matter of minutes."

"Whatcha readin' Kaz'?"  
Kazuki jumped as soon as he heard the voice of his sister, looking at him with curiosity-filled eyes.  
"K-Kari?! Since when are you here?!"  
He coughed and sneezed.  
"Here, take a tissue! No seriously, whatcha reading?"

He looked away. This wasn't good. He was so focused on his reading he hadn't heard her enter his room.  
"How did you know I was there and not at school...?"  
"I heard some coughing, so I knew there was someone else. I was expecting Mom having dragged Dad to bed again tho..."

Oh, right, that time their father was sicker than he currently was and had to be dragged back home by their mother...   
"I bet Dad had to bring you back here because you went to class."  
"You're right..."  
"Kaz', don't try to be like Dad, you know you'll be dragged there anyway! That's why I always tell Mom when I'm sick... Also because the doctor gives me lollipops when I go there"

She took the notebook from his hands.  
"What is this?"  
"One of Mom's notebooks from when she was my age I think..."  
"She was still referring to dad with his last name! It's soooo old!"

She read some pages here and there, a smile on her face.  
"Wow, Kaz', our parents were dorks as much as you are, I didn't think it was possible!"  
Indeed, taking from his parents...

"Huh, why are you reading those in the first place? Mom forbade us to read those..."  
"I wanted to know why Dad was so paranoid when he saw me in the nurse's office earlier today."  
"What do you mean by that, Kaz'?"

"When I told him it was just the flu, he just... Froze. It was really weird. As if he had some flashback. I was trying to guess why..."  
He cleared his throat. God was it itchy.  
"Oh, so you just happened to steal a notebook just to know what's wrong with that?"  
"That was what I was planning to do. But this notebook really picked my interest. But then it turned out to be why it may be so..."  
"It's complicated..."  
"I know, I know"

Kari tilted her head.  
"And so, why do you think he was so weird? He was scared to catch it maybe? Dad's already sick so often..."  
"No, it's not that... It's from when he was my age..."

Kazuki looked at her in the eyes, ready to make a full explanation of the book to his sister.  
"It's Mom's diary of sorts from when Dad was sick with... Uh..."  
Maybe it would scare his sister, who was already worried for their father's... Not-so-desirable health.

If he had a right to know, she had one too.  
"What did he have?"  
"He had pneumonia, and according to Mom, it was a flu that got worse and worse..."   
She seemed disturbed.  
"Oh, so... That's why he freaked out..."(édité)

When they both heard footsteps in the stairs, Kazuki snatched the book from Hikari's hands and hit it under his sheets.  
"It must me Mom!"  
Oh, that was right, their mother would usually come back from work earlier than their father. The reason why was unclear to them.  
"I'll ask her about that anyway..."

There was a gentle knock on his door.  
"Yes?"  
Indeed, it was their mother. She seemed upset.

As soon as she appeared in front of them, she rushed to the side of the bed.  
"Kazuki, why did you do that?!"  
That couldn't be good news.

"Uh, well... I..."  
Her eyes were really insistant. It really couldn't be good.   
"I didn't want you or Dad to worry."  
Her own face grew a shade paler.

"You'll only make it worse if you hide such things."   
"Mom, why do you seem so much worried all of a sudden?" asked his sister.

Their mother's eyes softened as she sat on the bed, next to Kari.  
"I suppose you would have known about this one day... How your father and I ended up together the first time"

"Oh?" Hikari's eyes sparkled.  
"It was, oh, decades ago. We were still attending Hope's Peak as a regular school. Your father was helping me on a case of robbery."  
Yes, just like in the diary.

"However, I wasn't paying attention to him and he passed out in the middle of the street. I'm still sure it made his flu worse."  
"I know I should have noticed it. Everything that follows is still my fault, despite what your father can say. If I had noticed he was sick, it could have been avoided and he wouldn't have had to live through this."  
"Live through what?" asked his sister.

Their mother gulped.  
"Through pneumonia."  
They tried their hardest to seem surprised.

"You don't seem as surprised as I would have expected you."  
"Uh, that's because... Uh..."  
"Did you know about it already?"  
"N-no, we... We thought it could have happened to dad, and his tendencies not to make people worry about him... That's it..."

She didn't give much details, as expected. The notebook was revealing itself to be crucially useful.

"Mom... Is that why Dad freaked out too?" asked Kazuki.  
His mother blinked.  
"He did?'  
"Yes, he seemed so scared when I told him 'It's just the flu'. I thought you would know."  
"So he really was pale today. You'll have to ask him though, I can't tell his feelings for him."


	7. No That's Wrong!

Around a hour later, it was time for his father to make his debut into his bedroom.  
Kari had since left to make her homework.

As soon as he entered, he went to his bed.  
"Are you feeling any better, Kazuki?"  
"I do Dad"  
"You're sure? You're not lying to me?"  
"Yes, I'm sure. I'm honest here."

He was still freaking out, wasn't he?  
"Dad... Why do you seem so... Paranoid?"

He jumped a bit and scratched his hair, nervous.  
"Well, it's just that... You're my son, I'm your dad and it's normal for dads to worry about their sons, no...?"  
Absolutely not convincing.

"Actually, it's because I... Listen, Kazuki, what I'm about to tell you is important."  
It was probably going to be the same thing than the notebook and his mother had told him.

"Years ago, when I was your age, I would help your mom on her cases from time to time. One day, I've went there sick and before I knew I had passed out in the middle of the street. She had to bring me back to our school."  
"But you... Knew you were sick, right?"  
"Yes."

"And... You still went to help her anyway?"  
"To be fully honest with you, I wasn't feeling good at all and I was glad she wasn't paying too much attention to me. I wanted her to focus on her case, not on me. And so I said nothing, just hoped she wouldn't notice anything. If only I hadn't passed out in the middle of the street, it would have been a success..."  
"And... How did Mom react? I mean, when she told you about it?"  
"She scolded me for being reckless and hiding things from her. She thought I wasn't trusting her..."  
"How could you even hope that? I mean, you were as sick as I'm right now... Why would you do that?"  
"I had promised I would be on this case with her too, as it was a rather complicated one. I couldn't let her down, I wanted to help out. And I didn't want to worry her... So I kept quiet."

He clutched his fists and looked down.  
"And yet, as usual, she had to do it all on her own... I was barely conscious..."  
So in short he took it upon himself. Kazuki didn't know if he had to be admirative of such a brave act, or horrified by how crazy his father sounded.  
Crazily selfless.

"And afterwards...?"  
"I wanted to make her feel better, so I tried to apologize to her, but Sayaka told me not to do that and I passed out again after that."  
Of course he shouldn't had done that. What had he been thinking?!  
"And for a whole week, I tried to show that, and every time I failed..."  
No shit, he had pneumonia, what had he expected?

"In short, I don't want you to do the same as I did, Kazuki. I was reckless and lovestruck. Be more careful to your health than I was, and don't try to hide stuff from us. Your mom will always find out anyway."

"Uh... Will you take me off from the dorm?"  
"No, I'm sure you'll learn this lesson better than I did. I'm trusting you on that."  
"Thank you very much..."

"Could you tell me why uou did that, however?"  
"Did what? Attend class while sick?"  
"Yes, that."  
"Well, uh... I didn't want to... To prove Natsumi right..."  
"No, that's wrong."

"What..?!"  
"I'm... I'm sure it wasn't just to disprove Natsumi on anything."  
"I-it was! She bet I would be sick from the pouring rain yesterday..."  
"Are you really sure?"  
"W-well, uh... There's not only that..."

He gulped. This was too cheesy to be happening.  
"I didn't want to worry anyone too... Especially Natsumi and Mei... And Mom and you..."  
His father just softly smiled.  
"I can only relate... Trust me, Kazuki, you'll worry people more by trying to hide this from them than admitting it. It's far less frustrating to be able to do something."


	8. Deep-Fried Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the nurse-cosplaying Natsumi.  
> Propos to CapnDirosso cuz it was their idea.

Discomfort from the flu and a headache were keeping Kazuki awake against his will. He knew he had to rest to get better, but... If he hadn't been succesfulin falling asleep for a hour and a half (or so, he wasn't exactly sure), maybe reading a notebook would help him fall asleep.  
Or maybe it was his undying curiosity to know the full extent of the story.

Opening once again the green notebook, he took it from where he had left it off before his mother had came in.   
So it turned out Maizono hadn't been in love with his father, but had been supporting the relationship with his mother. It didn't end up in a threesome then. That was probably for the best.  
However, his father had already been as stubborn as he was now. Constantly trying to get up, even to the point of trying to attend class while still quite sick and while his chest still hurt... It was clearer than ever why both his parents were so worried about him attending class with the flu.

The tale soon diverged from its sickness roots to a story of coming along with one's feelings... Well rather his mother's feelings. More and more hearts appeared on the pages the more he read. He felt like he was violating some privacy there, but now, he understood his father's fears now.  
Only left was to deal with the flu itself and his friends. Especially Natsumi, who had been proved right.

 

* * *

 

The day had been the longest since a long time. Sleeping, coughing, sleeping, sneeing, sleeping, trying to investigate on some cases before getting a headache.  
However, the evening revealed itself to be quite the opposite.

Kari's voice shouted from the other side of the door.  
"Kaz, Natsumi wants to pay you a visit! Can she come in?"  
His sister's voice seemed unusually amused.  
"Yeah, sure..."

"Hii! How's it goin'?"  
What Kazuki was prepared to was to be scolded by her.  
What he wasn't prepared to was seeing her dressed as a nurse.  
"So that's why Kari was laughing..."

"What?!"  
"C-can I just know why you're wearing that...?"  
It was probably a feverish delirium anyway...  
"Simple: to help you recover, you triple idiot!"  
"I don't need anyone for that..."  
"Do I tell your parents about how you sneaked into your mom's hiding spot and took something important from there?"

"W-wait!! How do you know that?!"  
"Oh, Kari told me. Apparently your parents were as dorky as you are!"  
Of course, his sister had told her.

"Uh... Did you get any better since yesterday?"  
"Yeah... I still feel awful, but at least I fall asleep and don't pass out all of a sudden..."  
"I hope you're taking your meds, because if you don't, I'll shove them down your mouth!"  
He coughed.  
"Hey, Kazuki... You're really getting better, right?"  
"If I tell you so... Why is nobody trusting me on that?"  
"You passed out in class you idiot, of course we wonder if you ain't gonna pull something like that again!"

"So, huh... That's all the reasons why you wanted to pay me a visit...?"  
She blushed. Bullseye.<  
"Well, uh... I was bringing you homework you idiot!"  
"My parents could do so too you know..."  
She blushed even further.

"This M-Midorin bitch just gave them to me anyway!!"  
"Midorin? I know she's weird, but she knows my father is the headmaster..."  
She was as red as he was now.  
"I-I really wanted to do so myself as your friend you... You deep-fried dumbass!!"

"So that's why... If so, why are you dressed as a nurse of everything...?"  
"I-I have a costume party next week and I needed someone's opinion, and... And still it's embarrassing as fuck, I decided to do that at your home!!"  
"Really...?"  
She exploded.  
"Of course not!! I was worried for you, that's all!!!"

She came back a bit after, a bucket full of water and a washcloth in her hands.   
She then noticed another on the ground.  
"You sneaked outside of bed, haven't you?"  
She glared at him, letting him know once again how bad his throat hurt when gulping.  
"You can't do that you cretin!! It'll get you worse!!"  
Yeah, yeah, he knew now; his father had done this before.

She wet the cloth in the bucket and started to wipe his face.  
"You're dripping with sweat, it's disgusting! You're lucky I'm there to clean your stupid face..."  
If only she knew he had spent most of his day being half-conscious.  
"I can't watch over you all the time! You need to take care of yourself! Guy is a detective and yet he can't take care of himself on his own!"

After she dripped the washcloth in water again, she put another (perfectly clean) on his forehead.  
"Open your mouth."  
If he wasn't, she would shove the thermometer in his mouth anyway.  
It beeped quite early too. She took it out and looked at it.  
"Dude, you're still around 39. If I see ya face at school before you're back to normal, I'll punch you"

"I was there to tease you because I was right, not be your personal nurse! Pff, you really need to take care of yourself more!"  
She was kind of right.   
"If you don't do this for you, do this for me... And Kari... And that bubble-ass chick too I suppose"

She was probably talking about Mei, huh.   
"I'll take it in account... Thanks for caring about me though, Natsumi"  
She blushed again.  
"W-we're friends, right? It's how friends treat other friends..."

Footsteps in the stairs again.  
"I need to change back! If you look even once, I'll punch you in the crotch!!"  
He immediately turned away. The mere thought of that hurt.

And despite the taunting show, he just stayed there, coughing from time to time.  
"Alright, ya can look"  
She was dressed into her school uniform again, obviously.  
Right in time for someone to knock at the door.

"Yes?"  
Entered his father, still dressed in a suit.  
"Are you feeling any better, Kazuki?"  
It took him a few seconds.  
"Oh, Natsumi, I didn't know you were there too! How are you?"

"Oh, huh, I'm fine Mr. Naegi!"  
"That's great! And you, Kazuki? You're less pale than yesterday at least!"  
"I feel better Dad, don't worry"

He smiled.  
"Things are getting better then. You rested today, right?"  
"Yes Dad"   
"I'll let you two alone for now, I'll check on you later, right?"  
"Works for me"

He then left them all alone, in his bedroom. In another genre, it would have gone sexual.  
"You wanna watch some prank videos with me?"  
He was preparing himself mentally, that was for sure.

"Huh... Sure, I guess"  
And so they watched some prank videos on her phone.   
Some were obviously fake though. That pedophile from this "CATCHING A PEDOPHILE" video was totally a bad actor.

After a while, she looked at her wrist, only to retain a scream.  
"Shit, I didn't know it was so late! I have to go, I'll pay you another visit another day. And pay attention to you, deep-fried idiot!"


	9. Forced smiles are the ugliest.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If there is anything good in this chapter, thank Brent from Capn's Discord server for the ideas.  
> Because he was writing some ideas induced by my writing in the chat and I was so amazed I had to incorporate it into the story to make you guys profit from it.  
> Thank you very much, Brent.

Around 7PM, his mother came in with a tray.  
"How are you feeling?"  
"Not so bad, Mom"

"I don't think you're very hungry, but having an empty stomach is bad too. You didn't sleep much last night, did you?"  
"You noticed my light was on, right?"  
"Yes."

She sat next to him and took off his washcloth. She then put one ungloved hand on his forehead.  
"You're still quite feverish. I hope you're resting well."  
A slight look on his desk later, she continued.  
"I see that Natsumi brought you your homework. Don't push it too far about this, okay?"  
"Okay."

She then wiped out his face.  
"I could have done it myself, Mom..."  
"Your father would say the same thing."

"I didn't ask you yesterday, how did this case go?"  
"It was boring, once again..."  
"You should be careful next time you investigate in the rain. You don't want to fall ill in the middle of an interesting one, or to rely on someone else because you're having hallucinations, right?"  
It smelled like real-life experience.

"Did... Did this happen to you?"  
"Yes, when I was a beginner detective. I didn't bring my umbrella with me and insisted on solving the case under a pouring rain. I've never done that again since I've gotten a terrible fever."  
"Oh, so it really was real-life experience."  
She blushed lightly.  
"It happened to your father too..."

Oh, right, that one delirium he had when he just started to play with her hair.  
"He did?" (of course he knew, pretending was the key)  
"Yes, and you may not think so, but it happened more than once."  
Now that was impressive stubborness...  
"Wait, so he didn't do that only on that time you told us about?"  
"It happened until very recently, you were still little... Then he understood pushing himself far too hard could lead him to get terrible fevers. It wasn't very good to take care of you."

"Wait, I didn't know he would still help you out even after Hope's Peak had been founded again..."  
"Well, you found the problem. To be able to manage both Hope's Peak and help me on some cases, he would lack sleep and one day, and sometimes he would caught a terrible case of the flu. You were still a toddler when those would happen, and one day, I had to tell him not to help me anymore."

"He continued to I guess?"  
"I told him he had a school and a son to take care of, but it took some time for him to accept the fact he needed to give himself some time."

She paused.  
"Kazuki, if I'm telling you all of this stuff, it's because I don't want you to do the same thing. It's a lesson I learnt the hard way, but sometimes you have to trust and rely on others. But I think you're far more likely to interiorize it than your father. I'm glad you can count on Natsumi and Mei for your school work, but leave you one more day before you start that or investigations. You don't want to be like your father, right?"

"Kazuki, by the way... How do you know your father got into delirium because of that?"  
Shit.

"W-well... I was telling that as if, the day I get a terrible fever, I don't want to know what I would be able to do..."  
"It seems odly precise though."

She looked at where the book was under the sheets.  
"Have you been reading this?"

And then she grabbed it from its (poor) hiding spot.  
Now the situation was hard to resolve

"Huh..."  
"Could you explain me why?"

The pissed-off look on her face was almost terrifying.   
"I... I really got curious about what had happened with you and Dad after he freaked out yesterday... So I investigated as much as I could... Sorry..."

His mother just smirked  
"You're not a Kirigiri for nothing."

"Wait... You don't seem so offended by that privacy invasion..."  
"I would if it was meant as one and just one, but you and your father's stubborness, you just wanted to know what had truly happened without the filter of both your father and I. It was the only one I wasn't planning on keeping to myself, but you must have seen... What made me not do so in the end. I would just like you to avoid reading the other ones."

"Was his stubborness really that bad?"  
"Oh yes, it was... I had rarely felt so worried for someone in my life before this happened. I would say the worst part of it were his forced smiles trying to make me feel better and less worried about him..."

She gulped and looked down. The vision of his mother in such a state of vulnerability... It must had been really impactful on her.  
"He was... A source of happiness and hope for a lot of us back in our school days. He was constantly smiling despite the circumstances, telling us everything would be better... It's only when he fell ill, and that I had to see him so hopeless, devoid of happiness and in unspeakable pain from the inside... That we all knew some of these smiles were lies..."

She was holding back tears now.  
"It's been decades... But I still remember this feeling of guilt over seeing him trying to make me feel better while he was crying from vivid nightmares at night, clutching his chest in pain, coughing up blood... While I hadn't paid near as much attention as he needed when he was the one who was suffering in silence..."

"I... I didn't expect that to have been horrible for you..."  
"You should say this to your father instead. He is the one who severely took it upon his own health for me and Maizono... He has such a heart of gold, and you have the roots for it, I'm terrified at the idea you could do so too..."

She paused again and dried some tears from her eyes.  
"Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened if I had paid attention to him more than to the case... If I had noticed if from the get-go... And I understand that he would have still tried to hide it from me..."

"But, if you would have noticed something was severely wrong with this, you would have been able to stop him, right?"  
"Well, Kazuki, you see... Makoto is someone stubborn and selfless, and he already was so when we were teens ourselves... He would have fleed from his room just to pass out somewhere else and... I think it would have been even worse..."

Short silence.

"I should have just prevented him from even coming, by telling him to stay inside and sleep off his illness... Kazuki, never get too focused on a case. You may feel horrible later if something as horrible as that happens to them... And even if he got over it... I still can't not worry for him, or you, or Kari, each time you get sick..."

"So, do you mean that... Every time any of you get sick..."  
"Yes, it reminds me of that one time... I know there's a far slimmer chance for Kari or you to get as sick as your father was back there, but it doesn't prevent me from thinking about 'what ifs' anyway."

She looked at him directly in the eyes.  
"Kazuki, if there is one thing you absolutely need to remember from today, it's this. Even if I taught you to pusue the truth and that, sometimes, you will have to take risks to find it... You need to remember the truth is never worth it at the cost of your family and loved ones, no matter the importance of these risks. You can't let a loved one throw themselves under the bus just so you can investigate on some cases. Even if almost every lesson comes with a harsh way to learn about it, let this flu be your own way to do so. I've learnt the hard way several times sacrificing anyone over a case, no matter its importance, is never worth it. Make... Make your father's sacrifice worth it, please..."

He was speechless. Any comment would had been rude anyway.  
"And this counts even if it's yourself, Kazuki. The truth is never worth your health, let alone your life. I'm already worried so much about your lack of sleep... Don't ever try to sacrifice yourself for any case or anything this unimportant on a larger scale.... Not even to show you trust someone."

"Your father truly is someone amazing, but don't ever come close to his level of self-sacrifice. He almost died for and on me so many times..."  
"As in, the time he..."  
"The time he purposely didn't pursue my lie to spare me, almost getting crushed in the process... But this pneumonia also counts towards that... And, really, I'm sure he would still take a bullet for me, and for you and your sister. Never let him even promise so, never."

"I really wasn't expecting this to have been such a huge thing for you and Dad..."  
"I'm relieved I've gotten to tell you such a lesson before you could do something as reckless as he did back then... Promise to the both of us you'll never do so..."

"Despite the fact this event brought me to understand my feelings towards Makoto, and how dear I was to him, bringing us closer than we had ever been, I can't let you or Hikari ever go through. No matter if you would be the ones to focus too much on something as mundane as a case or the one to sacrifice themselves for the sake of someone else... I would never want you two to go through that. I hope you now get why we freaked out the way we did when we found out you had passed out cold in class, burning up with fever...

As your mother, I'll always be scared of something bad happening to you, especially when you are a teenage detective sometimes investigating all on his own. This is why we felt so hesitant about getting a dorm room in the first place. And while you showed yourself to be able to do the same thing than your father did, I'll let you go to dorm anyway. I'm trusting you on understanding this lesson and applying it. I hope you'll not be as selfless as your father was. What mother would I be if I wasn't trusting my own son?

Just know we'll always be there for you, Kazuki. Even if you want to hide your weaknesses not to worry us, remember you'll worry people far less if you tell them about it so that they can help you out. I've come to know you'll always have to rely on someone else when you're in a situation requiring help. I want you to trust us on that, just like we trust in you.

And don't ever force yourself to smile."


	10. Nurse Simulator

Today was a rainy day. Non-stop pouring rain. It was also the third day of a flu Kazuki was already fed up with. It was calming down, with a less itchy throat and a headache not so proeminent anymore. It was getting slowly getting better.  
It would have meant case study and homework if his mother hadn't make such an emotion-filled speech to him on the day before. Instead, out of respect for his mother's adult fears and his father's reckless errors, he decided to take it easy.   
But that was boring wasn't it?  
  
If he wasn't dozing off, he was just rolling in his bed trying to doze off. There was no use, outside of sheer voyeurism, to read his mother's notebook. Kari wouldn't be home for a few hours.   
He was still thinking about what when he heard a knock.  
What was it again?  
  
"Yes...?"  
And then he remembered he had forgotten to lock after his father had paid him a visit to check on him at noon.  
What an idiot he was when he was sick, huh.  
  
A familiar blonde face slammed the door.  
"Helloooooooo sick-in-bed beauty!!"  
Sick in bed... Beauty...? Was she teasing him again?  
  
"Hey, you lucky cretin, you forgot to lock your door!"  
"Aren't you supposed to be in class Natsumi...?"  
Her screams were making his head hurt more.   
"Hey, why are you rubbing your face?! I'm noisy, that's why?!"  
Telling her so would make things worse...  
  
She got close to him and took a glance at his bottle-riddled desk.  
"Have you taken your meds?"  
He jumped and face-palmed himself.  
"Shit, I knew I had forgotten something..."  
He felt dizzy again.   
"Lemme take care of that..."  
  
He stood up and tried to walk to his desk, only to be stopped by Natsumi.  
"You're braindead or what?! You're fucking bedridden, you're supposed to stay in bed, you complete moron!!"  
And so she shoved him back into bed. Again.  
"Tcch, you always need someone to nurse you. I suppose you take that from your dad."  
  
"Wait... How do you know that my father's like that in the first place...?"  
"Kari told me bits here and there. You're dork from father to son in this fucking family!"  
"Why are you insisting on nursing me anyway...?"  
She stopped pouring down the spoon of syrup she had in her hand.  
  
"W-what makes you think I want to nurse you?!"  
She was starting to get red. Bad liar indeed.  
  
"Well, I didn't ask you to give me my meds you know..."  
"It's because if I don't do it you'll not do so! You're too dizzy anyway!"  
"Don't you have class anyway...?"  
She shoved the spoon in his mouth.  
"Shut up and take your meds, you forgetful ass!"  
  
"Seriously, you skipped class for that...?!"  
"I wish I could say so, but it's just that the Math teacher was missing. I can't even use your stupid forgetting to skip class!"  
"And so... If you're there because you wanted to skip class... But that the teacher isn't there... Why are you here then...?"  
"Because you're stupid and your parents are at school working!! Now take that other med and stop asking questions!!"  
  
After having wasted all possible meds to shut him up, she couldn't evade his questions anymore.  
"Are you sure you didn't skip class...?"  
"I didn't! I swear I didn't!!"  
"You skipped class, did you...?"  
"...Yeah."  
  
"So you skipped class to nurse me. You're sure you're not here on your own will...?"  
"Goddammit Kazuki, how many times do I have to tell you I'm doing this for you because I'm your friend!! You dense fucker!!"  
There probably was more under that.  
  
She sat on the chair and crossed her arms.  
"'kay, listen. I was worried for your stupid ass all day long!! I had a bad feeling about you! I decided to ditch class cuz I wanted to make sure you were doing well! And I found your door open and you not taking your meds!! God, you're gonna be the death of me!!"  
  
"Hey, you're getting redder?! Is your fever rising again?!"  
She promptly shoved the thermometer in his mouth before he could even think of an answer.  
"No, that's not it... Wait, are you blushing?! Can't you make it easy for once?!"  
  
She wiped his face's sweat right after that.  
"I'm... I'm just glad you're here actually..."  
"What? You're bored or something?"  
"Yeah, there's that but... I don't know, it's just nice to have you here..."  
  
"I ain't gonna be your clown, but boredom sucks, so I can stay there. Math is boring too anyway."  
"Huh, just a small last question... Where does this 'sick-in-bed beauty' taunt comes from...?"  
She turned bright red.  
  
"Dude!! It's just a stupid thing I said to tease you!!"  
"Really? Usually you just insult me..."  
"It's not my fault if you're fucking handsome goddammit! Just stop asking stupid shit!!"  
"W-wait... Not only you're saying I'm handsome... But you're still saying that when I've been sick and bedridden for three days and probably look at shit anyway...?"  
"I would have bitch-slapped if you weren't sick, shut up!! You're not looking like shit you perfectly-looking ass!!"  
  
He felt his head spin.   
"Hey, Kazuki, what's wrong?! Why are you blacking out all of a sudden?! Kaz..."  
And everything went to black. Again.  
  


* * *

  
  
When he woke up after what seemed to be a few minutes, he could see Natsumi using  a notebook as a fan over his face.  
"Ah; you're finally back!! What happened!!"  
He sat up.   
"I... I don't know..."  
"You've got a fever rise for like three minutes I was so scared! It went down but I was scared shitless! Never do that again!!"  
  
"I... I'll try..."  
She sighed.  
"If you feel like shit, tell me before I get scared! Dude is a detective and doesn't know when he's about to pass out!!"  
  
"Well, uh... I got surprised by how caring you are lately... Usually you're just teasing me..."  
"I... I don't know how I'm supposed to take it..."  
"I... I prefer you like that... Maybe I should get sick more often..."  
  
She smirked.  
"So it doesn't cause you a problem if I'm there to shove spoons in your mouth?"  
"Not so much actually... But don't skip class because of that either..."  
"Sure, I'll try. But you lock your door and take your meds instead!"  
  
"I will, I will!"  
"If you don't, I'll shove a green onion down your ass!!"  
He gulped.  
"Actually, maybe don't look your doors. I want to check on you whenever I can!"  
Of course.  
"I will do that too..."  
  


* * *

  
  
The afternoon was calm at the Naegi household. Well, kind of.  
"Natsumi, what are you going to buy at the grocery shop anyway...?"  
"Vegetables! If you almost fainted, it's cuz you're lacking vitamins!"  
"Who told you that anyway?!"  
"Google!!"  
  
She shoved her phone in his hands.  
"Natsumi... This isn't a viable source of information..."  
"I don't care! I've seen this in mangas, you give sick people soup and they get better in minutes!"  
She was about to close the door.  
"And don't get out of bed!!"


	11. Spreading like Wildfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of ideas from this chapter come from the great CapnDirosso themself.  
> Props to Marie for guessing right about the whole apron stuff.  
> Also how to you write "appron"?
> 
> I have to add this chapter is long as fuck too.

Natsumi made sure to close the door. Safety first, as they said.  
She didn't exactly know how to make soup, but she would Google it.  
"Shit, I forgot my fucking phone...!" she whispered to herself as she patted her different pockets.  
A few droplets from the sky made her open her umbrella. There was no time to be lost, she would Google it at home them.  
  
After she had arrived at the grocery store, she had to deal with a dilemma.  
Was she buying already-made soup or was she trying to cook her own?  
Considering she wasn't that good at cooking, this question was crucial.  
  
After having stood up in front of soup shelves for a few minutes, she decided to take the premade option.  
She didn't know how to make soup and didn't want to clean anything afterwards anyway.  
  
Following her ~~shojo manga consumer~~ gut feeling, she picked the chicken-flavored one with vermicelli.  
Well, there wasn't any vegetable but ~~mangas~~ her gut feeling was telling her it was the best option.  
  
Once the crucial soup picking part was done and bought, she was thinking of other stuff to give to a sick person.  
Hmm... Hot chocolate she would guess. She knew how to do those at least.  
It would probably take her an eternity to find the box of chocolate power in their kitchen, but she had to do it.  
Oh, that and a glass of orange juice. That was also a remedy according to ~~shojo mangas~~ Google!  


* * *

  
  
Back at the Naegi house, Natsumi rushed to the kitchen. There was some soup to be made....  
But only after she had read the instructions on the back of the brick.  
  
She then noticed an appron left unattended on a chair. If she was careful enough with that brick of soup, she could use it and not make it noticeable. After all, she just add to pour the contents of the brick in a pan and voilà almost done. Just needed to blend it from time to time.  
  
On it was written "Kiss the Cook".  
A little embarrassing, especially with its green color that wasn't matching her pink at all, but she just had to take it off before seeing Kazuki.  
She put it on anyway.  
  
Making some (premade) soup wasn't hard at all. Once poured into a bowl and put on a trail, she went upstairs and knocked on her ~~crush~~ friend's bedroom door.  
"Yes..?"  
"Soup time!!"  
  
Kazuki made a funny face.  
"Hey, what's wrong? Don't like soup? I know it ain't vegetables but I figured out chicken stew was better for you!"  
"No, the soup isn't a problem it's that..."  
He pointed the appron.  
"What are you doing with my dad's apron...?"  
  
She blushed instantly.  
"I-it's not your mom's?!!"  
"Oc course it's not, my dad's always the one cooking! And you didn't answer my question, what are you doing with his apron in the first place?!"  
"I just didn't want to get dirty making you that!"  
She put the tray on his laps.  
"Shut up and drink it now!!"  
  
She crossed her arms. Fucking embarrassing.  
"Oh, huh, Natsumi..."  
"What?!"  
"Thank you..."  
She blushed even harder.  
"Thanks for what?"  
"Well... For taking your time to take care of me like that..."  
  
"You... You're okay with the lack of vegetables..?"  
"Of course! It's a small detail. Why would I dwell on that when you were the one to tell me about the soup in the first place!"  
He paused.  
"Speaking of little details... I'm happy you didn't wear my mom's..."  
  
"Why? Now that I think 'bout it, it must be purple, it must be prettier than this green one."  
"Well, it's just that... My dad's so lovey-dovey when she wears it and Kari and I get so awkward when that happens it would have been even more  
  
awkward if you were to wear it too you know..."  
"Oh, huh, right. Lovey-dovey parents are embarrassing as fuck."  
  
Well, not so embarrassing when she was putting Kazuki and her in the same situations.  
"You... Need something else..?"  
"I don't think so... Thanks for asking though..."  
  
She then got an idea almost out of the blue.  
"Oh, huh... You read what's on the apron, don't you?"  
He instantly got redder.  
"You don't want me to..."  
She got right to his face.  
"Yes I do."  
  
"No way... You're obviously teasing me there."  
"And what if I'm serious?"  
He gulped.  
"You... You're joking, right...? You're gonna get sick if I do so anyway..."  
  
"Where... Where do you want me to kiss you...?"  
"Depends on where you want to kiss me."  
He seemed shaky all of a sudden.  
  
"Don't... Don't blame me if you get sick..."  
Oh so he was going to kiss her on the lips. She was almost drooling only by the thought of it.  
He slightly got up, put a hand on the top of her head, and then...  
She felt something warm on her forehead.  
  
"What? I thought you were gonna kiss me on the lips! You scammer!"  
"Heh, got you there...!"  
He put a hand to his face as he leaned back.  
  
In a reflex, she put the (now empty) bowl away.  
"Hey, what's wrong?!"  
"I... I don't know... I feel dizzy all of a sudden..."  
"Are you tricking me again?!"  
"I wish..."  
  
And then he stopped speaking.  
She grabbed his shoulder and shook him.  
"Hey, Kazuki?! What's wrong?! Answer me!!"  
It soon came to her mind.  
"Shit, he has passed out on me again... But why...?"  
  
And here stood Natsumi, worried sick and confused as to what was happening. She grabbed the thermometer on the bedside table only to shove it  
  
in his mouth again.  
"Shit, it's rising... What am I supposed to do...?!"  
And only then did she notice one bottle of medicine she had forgotten earlier.  
"That must be it!!"  
  
She grabbed the bottle and poured a spoon of it.  
"Goddammit, how am I supposed to give it to you if you can't even swallow?!"  
She took a long breath in.  
"Wake up you triple idiot!!"  
  
She put the spoon away, making sure its content were still inside and that it was equilibrated, grabbed her phone and opened Google.  
"How to wake up passed out idiot who caught flu in the rain"  
No result matched her request.  
Goddammit.  
  
Something then fell on the floor, right from his bed, right from his hand.  
A file.  
"For fuck's sake, Kazuki Naegi, you're lucky I'm here for your stupid ass."  
  
And there she was, waiting for him to wake up. But first, she hid the file.  
No one was touching it for a while.  


* * *

  
  
It took him a few minutes to make his comeback.  
"Hmph, took you long enough. Dumbass."  
"Natsumi...? What happened...?"  
"You passed out. Again."  
  
"I'm sure your doc told you to not overdo it, so why are you overdoing it?!"  
He seemed panicked.  
"How... How do you know that..."  
"Your hand let go some fucking case file or something. Dude's a detective and yet can't take care of his stupid ass!"  
  
"I still don't know why you even bother..."  
"It's 'cause I care about you a lot you complete dumbass!!!"  
  
"Stop screaming please, my head hurts..."  
"Don't you undertand that when you do this, you're not only hurtin' yourself, but those caring about you too?!"  
"Natsumi, it's not..."  
"Kari told me about what had happened between your parents... Why are you doing the same thing as your dad when you know it's bad for everyone involved?!"  
"Natsumi, please, stop... Stop...  
"I ain't gonna stop 'til you take care of you!! And if I have to keep a surveillance camera, a babyphone or skip class I will!!"  
"Stop crying please..."  
  
"Well I'll stop crying when you take care of you!!"  
He seemed awfully embarrassed all of a sudden.  
"I... I'm sorry... Look, I... I'll just... Rest..."  
"And what if it worsens into pneumonia, like for your dad?! What if you don't make it because you don't care?! Why are you so obstinated with ruining the shit out of your health, huh?!"  
  
"It.... It'll get better, I promise..."  
"I know you put fucking all-nighters half the time!! Take care of you for fuck's sake!! That's all I ask for!!"  
She had to take out her lenses because of how wet her eyes were becoming. She quickly grabbed her box, put them in, put the box away and took  
  
her glasses.  
"Look, you're even making me take out those ugly-ass glasses!! I don't even ask you to love me back or anything, just... Just pay attention to yourself!!"  
  
"Wait... Did... Did you say 'love you back'...?"  
"I... I... Well, huh.... I..."  
Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit...  
"You're... You're sure you're not sick too...?"  
  
"I'm not you fucking idiot!! Yes, yes, I love you!! I know, it's a lame as fuck confession, what do you want me to do about it?! You're just gonna brush it off as a feverish delirium cuz your dad once confessed during one anyway!!"  
  
He was baffled.  
"I... I... I..."  
"Shut up and sleep!! Just... Just rest for once! I'll leave if you need that to rest!"  
She looked away.  
"I'm annoying anyway..."  
  
She got up and got to the door until she felt a hand grabbing her arm.  
"Stay... Stay here with me please... I... I feel better when you're here..."  
"My ass, you passed out twice when I was here."  
"It's all my fault..."  
  
She sat on the chair next to his bed.  
"Hmph, if you want it so badly, I guess I'll stay..."  
She refreshed the washcloth on his forehead.  
"Someone needs his personal nurse doesn't he?"  
  
She sighed.  
"I'm not putting the nurse costume on again."  
He smiled.  
"Wasn't expecting you to do that..."  
She whiped his face.  
"Rest now, you can't always pass out to get energy back don't you?"  
"Sure..."  
  
She gently kissed his forehead.  
"Kari'll be back from school soon, so if you don't wanna get trouble fallin' asleep because of the TV goin' on, you better fall asleep now."  
"I'll do..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also Hajime is the one who said on dah Internet orange juice was the universal panacea.


	12. Hope, Step, Instant Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world needs more Hikari Naegi.  
> I'm here to bring the world more Hikari Naegi.

Once she was out of Kazuki's room (after threatening him she would shove a green onion up his ass if he was to sneak out of sleeping time), 

Natsumi met up with his sister who was comfortably watching TV in the couch.  
"Oh, hi Natsumi! Wanna watch some TV with me?"  
"Sure, why not"

Once they were both sitting in front of the screen, the situation evolved quickly from watching some cartoon to something... Deeper.  
"Uhm, Kari... Has your bro always been like that?"  
"Like what? A dork?"  
"Yeah, he's one huge-ass dork, but... You know, trying to play the big ones?"

The little girl looked at her with confused eyes.  
"Whatcha meanin', Natsumi?"  
"Y'know... He pretended not to be that sick and stuff..."  
"Oh, right! Well, dad's like that too, so I can't be surprised if he is too!"  
"But has he done that before in the past?"  
"Yeah, once, but Mom stopped him before he could. Kaz is barely sick usually..."

Natsumi looked away.  
"You seem worried all of a sudden, Kari"  
"It's 'cause I am... I'm not used to see my big brother sick..."  
She took a long look at the teenager.  
"You're worried too, no?"

She couldn't help but laugh to herself.  
"Yeah, I'm worried for this idiot. Dude is the Ultimate Detective and yet he can't even tell people when he's not feeling good..."  
"I... I don't know what exactly happened... Mom and Dad were so secretive about it..."  
"I wasn't there either, but Midorin explained me enough. Want me to tell you about it all before your parents come back from work?"

"If you want, sure!"  
And so went the story in her point of view: the passing out in class, the nurse office incident, and the soup incident.  
"Oh, so... That's why... That's why Dad was so freaked out..."  
"Wait, your dad freaked out?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Care to tell me?"  
"I can!"  
And so it went again.

"Oh, so.. It's all cuz something similar happened all those years ago then.... Wow, your family is really dorky."  
Kari giggled.  
"I hope he'll get better soon..."  
"I can safely say he's getting better, but he would be if he wasn't working behind my back. Ya need to keep a constant eye on him if you want 

him to recover!"  
"I'll do that then, agent Natsumi!"  
"I count on you, agent Kari"

"And, huh... I'm... I'm scared for Dad too..."  
"Why is that so? I thought he had stopped freaking out after your mom lectured Kazuki"  
"Well, huh... Turns out not so much as I thought..."  
She gulped and sighed.  
"I'm scared he's gonna collapse... It's the word for it, right?"

Natsumi felt dread in her back.  
"Fuck! If you dad collapses, Kazuki's gonna blame the hell outta him for that!"  
"But Kaz is getting better, right...? It can only mean everything's gonna be okay...!"  
Natsumi pulled the little sister she would never have in a hug.   
Maybe it was less scary to not know what she meant by "collapsing".

"I'm... I'm scared too..."  
"You're scared for Kaz too, no...?"  
"I'm... I'm scared for everything related to this mess... I want everything to be okay too..."  
"My dad always say that hope is the most important thing, so... We just have to hope everything will be all right!"

"You're not a Naegi for nothing..."  
"Well, Kaz is sick, Dad is unwell and Mom is worried so... I have to hope for everybody else! And you have to hope too!"  
"I'll hope for them too then, and I'll hope for you too!"  
Kari's words, mixed with her innocence, were really smoothing her.

"Thank you so much, Kari."  
"Why are you thanking me?"  
"Cause you made me feel so much better."


	13. Weirdos Doing Weird Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did you want more Seigi Midorin because if you didn't I have bad news for you.

Back at school, Natsumi had one issue to fix (except for her class skipping).  
Seigi. Fucking. Midorin.   
Because if there was someone scarier than goddamn Asahina in her run to Kazuki's heart, it was this weirdo.

"Hey, you."  
A familiar other blonde turned around to face her.  
"Oh, Kuzuryuu. What's wrong?"  
"I have to settle somethin' with you.

Taking her by the arm and dragging her away from everyone else, Natsumi lead her rival to a dark corner of the school.  
"Okay, Kuzuryuu, what's fucking wrong with you?"  
"I just have one thing to ask you."  
"Go for it."

She instantly got redder. Somehow, it was much harder to spew out in front of her.  
"Do... Do you want to get with K-Kazuki?!"  
"Kazuki? Oh, right, Naegi."  
"Yeah, him! You want to date him or what?!"

His classmate seemed puzzled.  
"What makes you think so?"  
"W-well... You're with him in class, and I've seen you bring him to the nurse's office!! What are you hiding from us, you two?!"  
She smirked.  
"Kuzuryuu, if only you knew..."  
"If only I knew what?!"

Midorin seemed embarrassed all of a sudden.  
"I... I'm kind of lesbian, you know. I don't want to date Naegi, he's just a friend."

Natsumi felt her credibility crawling to the ground.  
"You... You're a lesbo?!"  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a lesbo, no need to cry it out loud. You, on the other hand..."  
"Me what?!"  
"You're totally crushing on him."  
"H-h-how did you guess that?!"  
"Your question, of course! I'm not good at finding crushes anyway, not that I care about that. You can have him all you want, I ain't your rival or anything in the like."

She felt incredibly dumb. Dude, the situation was so stupid right now.  
"I... I... I'm sorry, I guess..."  
"I didn't know it was that ambiguous."

The other blonde raised her eyes.  
"And, uh... About Naegi, how is he doing?"  
"He's recovering, you know, usual sickness stuff..."  
"You're blushing. Something weird happened I guess."  
"N-Not at all!!"  
"There's totally something weird that happened."

"I.... I don't want to tell someone like you weirdo."  
Midorin seemed shaken.  
"I... I can understand."  
She turned around.  
"Good luck, Kuzuyuu. I know it's gonna end well for you."

"W-wait, Midorin..."  
"What?"  
She turned back to her.  
"You... You're offended, right?"  
"Offended? By you calling me a weirdo? I'm used to that."  
She gulped.  
"I just wanted to know if Naegi hadn't gotten worse."

"You're... You're not as bitchy as I expected. Kazuki always seem exhausted when he speaks about you..."  
"I didn't say I wasn't a weirdo. I'm as fucked up as he probably told you I was. I'm not even sure why you're still trying to speak to me."  
"Cuz you're worried for Kazuki too, right?"  
"Well the dude was next to me when he passed out cold, so... Pretty much."

She paused.  
"He did something weird again?"

Natsumi looked away.  
"He did... I was at his place to keep an eye on him, you know, and he fainted on me twice! He can't even rest when there's not someone to stalk him! How sad is that!"  
Midorin grew paler by the second.  
"He... He's even worse than I thought."

"What do you mean?"  
"He had once admitted to me he would often pull all-nighters, but like, that's another level."  
"Midorin..."  
"What?"  
"You're so distant from us, but you have the same worries... Why?"  
"Because I'm weird."

She looked away, seeminly embarrassed if not slightly blushing.  
"I... I have other stuff to attend. If you'll excuse me."  
And there she ran, leaving Natsumi confused in a dark corner of Hope's Peak.  
"She's weird, indeed..."


	14. Lovely Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We switch again to Kazuki for what is probably the cheesiest thing I've ever written.  
> Sorry Brent, I don't have your monologue skills.

Ever so slightly, Kazuki was getting better. Texting here and there Mei and Midorin to get some news (the later seemed more insistant than usual), he felt not so stressed by all this school stuff anymore.   
He was finally well enough to get up from bed, not feel dizzy and being able to do things such as making himself hot chocolate. Being more independant than a newborn was feeling good.

However, something was occupying his mind. Something that wasn't a case, nor some kind of family drama.  
No, it was all about his childhood friend Natsumi.   
He didn't know if he was thinking about her during most of his sickness time because she had been taking care of him or because it was for another reason altogether.

This girl was obsessing him. If he was thinking about school, she would come up. If he was thinking about his family, she would come up as the big sister Kari would never get. If he was thinking about cases, she would come up to scold him again for working while he was sick.  
There was no way he was escaping her.  
And everytime he would think of her, his ears would get hotter.

It was such a weird feeling. He was even happy she was texting in class sometimes just so she could reply to him. Why was it so? It had never happened to him before. Or at least he was thinking so. It was unclear if he had ever felt this way for someone, really.  
It was also different from what he was feeling for Kari, no matter how much he loved his sister. No, it was something else...

He couldn't really put his finger on it. It was vague, and the only idea to come to his mind was beyond stupid.  
No, he wasn't in love with her, they were just childhood friends.  
Childhood friend romance only happened in Natsumi's sappy mangas, right?  
And there she was again.

He would only think such a thing because she had accidentally confessed to him on the day before.  
She even said it twice!!

At least, that was what she had meant, right? Maybe.. Maybe she hadn't expressed herself right.  
Maybe that was all a big misunderstanding.  
Maybe everything had been a feverish delirium  
That would explain his embarrassing memories of having kissed her forehead.

Maybe what had happened to his dad was now happening to him.  
Everything was a bad dream, a weird dream.  
If someone would slap him, he would just realize it.

It was in those moments that he needed Midorin to remind him that he was daydreaming.  
"Hey, I totally don't have a crush on Natsumi, right?"  
Wait, that didn't come off like he wanted it to.  
...It wasn't possibly true.

Everything was just the illness.  
Everything was a mess lately.  
Everything was her and everything was related to her.  
Everything was fine and nothing was a fucking love story.

He wasn't like his father, his nurse wasn't going to be his crush.

She had a sailor mouth.   
But he was used to his swears.

She was throwing insults at him all the time.  
But she cared deeply for him under all of the times she called him an idiot.

She was violent in her words.  
But she said them because she was worried for him.

She was swearing most of the time.  
But her singing voice was lovely.

She was harsh, borderline vulgar.  
But her honesty was something to be admired.

She would often be lonely.  
But so was he when she wasn't there.

There was no lying, no denying anymore.  
Yes, this was straight out of her sappy mangas.

Indeed, he was in love with Natsumi.


	15. Mei Day, Mei Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY WE GET SOME MEI ASAHINA IN DAH IN HOT WATERS GAME

Kazuki, as confused with love as a teenage boy would be, resorted to Natsumi's favorite method of solving the world's biggest issues.  
Google.  
  
Of course he had tried to search it up in books, but there was no books about that in his family's libraries. Why couldn't his mother have been the SHSL Matchmaker instead? It would have been so much easier to find stuff about this pesky thing.  
At least, his flu was going away. This is was the only good thing he could think of at the moment.  
  
Well, being lovesick wasn't very good either. There was still "sickness" in "lovesickness", but now, "love" wasn't cured with some medicine from the nearest pharmacy.  
And Natsumi wasn't some kind of virus he could get rid off with some sleep, medicine and maybe chicken soup.  
Wait, did he just compare Natsumi to a virus?! Yes, yes he did.  
He was already bad at remembering stuff when he was sick, was he awful at being a boy in love too?  
  
The situation was getting trickier and trickier.   
The bell ringing made him jump.  
He only had to hope it wasn't Natsumi skipping classes again.  
He would have been closer to a tomato than to a human being in appearance!  
  
When he heard a knock on his door, he jumped again.  
"Y-yes...?"  
He wasn't ready in the slightest...  
"Oh, huh, that's me, Mei..."  
Relief struck him like a truck.  
  
"Ah, eh... Hello...!"  
"You look... Weird? Is something wrong?"  
"No, nothing, I was just dozing off a bit, that's it..."  
  
She stopped in her tracks as she was getting closer to his bed.  
"Am I disturbing you? I can go back home if you need to rest..."  
"No, I'm not feeling so bad anyway! Didn't you have class?"  
"I'm not Kuzuryuu, I don't skip classes!! No, the teacher has caught the flu too!"  
  
She sat next to him.  
"So, um, how have things been going?" she asked, taking something from her bag  
"Well, not much, I'm still sick at home..."  
"You shouldn't have come to class on Monday, now your virus is roaming free! Guess who caught it?!"  
  
His heart skipped a beat, and he didn't know if it was because she had suddenly rose her voice or if it was because he instantly thought of a special someone.  
"Natsumi caught it?!"  
"No, not her."  
He sighed in relief.  
"But half of your class came down with it."  
  
Yep, it was less important.  
"Even Midorin?"  
"Midorin? That weirdo that told us you were sick on Monday?"  
"Yes."  
"No, she didn't."  
Well, it would have been surprising, considering one weirdness of hers was her resistance to cold temperatures...  
  
"You don't seem that worried for your class though! It's your fault they are all so sick!!"  
That... Was true actually..  
"I... I'm sorry for them, but... My friends go before them, you know..."  
He was so unconvincing.  
  
She gave him a funny look.  
"Something's wrong with you, Kazuki? Mind to tell me?"  
"Well, huh..."  
Oh shit, if he was telling her he was in love with Natsumi... It would be bad.  
  
"It's that akward for you not to tell me about it?"  
There was no way to lie, she knew him since childhood anyway, she could read through his own façades.  
And why would he repeat his mother's teenage mistakes anyway?  
  
Maybe he should follow his father's steps: say everything and pretend to faint afterwards.  
A fever delirium is the perfect excuse to say nonsense, right?  
Wait, he wasn't that feverish anymore.  
She would notice right away by grabbing the thermometer next to his bed.  
  
"Hey, the Earth to Kazuki! You're still here?"  
  
He got taken out of his thoughts.  
"Yeah, there is.. This one thing."  
He could feel his cheeks get hotter by the second.  
"You... Swear not to tell everybody else? And that you won't tear me apart?"  
  
"Of course! I'm not one of your best friends for nothing!"  
It was going to be harder done than said, but Mei might be his best option.  
"I.... I..."  
His throat was knotting.  
  
He was playing with his fingers relentlessy while trying to get it out.  
Mei was just standing there, looking confused.  
"I... I... I think I..."  
  
He gulped.   
He just had to scream it out (maybe not scream, after all, his throat was still sore).  
He breathed in.  
"I... I think that... I... I... I'm in love with Natsumi..."  
  
Mei stayed there, eyes as big as saucers.  
"You... You're sicker than I thought..."  
  
"I... I'm serious Mei..."  
She got up violently from her chair and just stared at him.  
Of course that wasn't going to be pleasant.  
  
"You... You really fell in love with... Her of everybody?!"  
"Y-yeah, I... I'm the first surprised there..! I guess..."  
She sighed and sat back.  
"I guess you can't control love..."  
  
He wished he could.   
"Anyway... I think she may be returning your feelings, so I guess you're lucky there."  
"She... Kind of confessed on Wednesday..."  
  
Mei's eyes got even bigger (it was possible apparently) and she stayed in awe.  
"H-how did that happen?!"  
"Well, uh... She got carried away when scolding me for the xth time..."  
"And why did she even scold you?! Who does she think she is?!"  
"It's my fault on this one!"  
"And how's that?! You smoked weed 'cuz she told you to do so?!"  
"Wait, where did you get that idea?! No, it's because I tried to work on a case while sick and fainted, that's all!"  
  
Mei blinked, stunned.  
"Somehow, this is even worse..."  
  
She got pissed right afterwards.  
"You mean the bitch was nursing you?!"  
"Hey, Natsumi isn't a bitch! And, yes, she was, sort of..."  
He was blushing wasn't he? Shit.  
"She did suspicious stuff to you I'm sure!"  
"She didn't! The most obscene thing that happened was her language!"  
  
Mei gave him a weird look.  
"You're sure she didn't try to... Do dirty stuff to you while you were unconscious?"  
"Why would she even do that?!"  
"You're suuuuure she didn't attempt to... Touch you-know-what?"  
"Why are you even thinking about things like that?!"  
"It's for your safety! Who knows what this sailor mouth can do to you while you're unconscious!"  
"I'm sure she just googled something like 'how to wake up idiot who caught flu in rain'!! She didn't try to cardiac-massage this part!!"  
  
Mei still looked doubting.  
"You were unconscious, so... We'll never know"  
"What is wrong with you...?"  
"I just want to know if something bad happened to you, as your friend!"  
May she not be a second one to crush on him...  
  
He had to pop the question anyway.  
"You're sure it's just as a friend?"  
"Yes, as a friend! A childhood friend, maybe, but as a friend! What, Kuzuryuu was saying she was doing that as a friend too?!"  
"...Yeah"  
"Well I'm not like her, so I can safely tell you that I'm not in love with you!"  
  
He still had some doubts.  
"Anyway... She confessed to you, right?"  
"Yeah... It was unexpected to say the least..."  
"Unexpected?! She's been head over heels for you for years!"  
"Well, maybe, but the situation itself..."  
  
"I mean, she was talking about complete other stuff, well my flu mostly, but that's it! I wasn't expecting a love confession all of a sudden!"  
"Hmm... At least you just have to confess to her and everything is right, no?"  
"Easier said than done... I'm still looking awful, and my voice sounds like I've smoked a whole forest..."  
"Well, you.. Just tell her when you're all alone in your room or anywhere else in private, right?"  
"Sure, it'll be totally natural from me to spew out 'I love you too' in front of her..."  
"Then take her on a date!"  
"We're not even dating, how do you want me to take her on a date?"  
"Then just tell her you want to spend the afternoon with her!"  
"I don't know how I would bring it into a conversation!"  
"Wait for her to try to touch your you-know what!"  
"Why are you convinced she wants to do THAT of everything?!"  
  
"Because it's Kuzuryuu! She's a pervert!"  
"She isn't that perverted you know..."  
  
A heavy silence fell over the two friends for a few minutes. Kazuki was upset: why was Mei thinking so low of Natsumi? She wasn't such a bad person! She didn't deserve such an overdramating  discussion about her intentions.  
Well, maybe love was making him blind.  
No, no, Natsumi was so much better than that for him to think such things!  
  
"Huh, Kazuki... You're mad?"  
"Well kinda, you just insulted my best friend you know!"  
He expected a snarky remark on love's blindness but she just kept quiet.  
"I hope it goes well..."  
  
Such a sudden shift in tone.  
"Don't think I'm doing that for Kuzuryuu. I'm doing this for you, Kazuki."  
Oh, yeah, that was obviously incoming.  
  
"I want _you_ to be happy and not this bitch, so you better do it or I'll kick her ass."  
It was getting violent down here.  
  
"You know, it doesn't have to be a violent ass kicking..."  
"I'm sure you're gonna make it work anyway, she's head over heels for you. You just have to confess without stuttering too much!"  
"H-harder done than said..."


	16. Final Gambit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter, answering everyone's question: will Flygon do a 180° turn and make Seigi/Kazuki a thing?
> 
> ...I'm Kazumi trash what do you even expect

The class-less recovering part of a flu was the most boring time Kazuki ever had in years. Even his less favorite subjects at school weren't as boring as those days.  
But now, he was back on track and attending class again.

But first, he invited Natsumi out on the weekend he was allowed to leave his house.  
His father fussed again when he learnt that but his son was still going anyway.  
He had business to deal with.

No, this wasn't a date, it was a... Weirder than usual friend outting.  
Yeah, yeah.  
He was probably never going to be able to confess anyway.

They had decided to meet in front of his dorm room as soon as he had finished re-investing it.  
What he didn't expect was to see her right in front of his door.

"Oh, huh, Natsumi?! I didn't expect you so early!"  
"I'm happy to see you too."  
Awkward.

"I mean... Y-you just surprised me!"  
Her upset face switched to a huge smile.  
"You're so funny when you're embarrassed!"  
She laughed. He felt dumb.

She grabbed his arm, dragging him out of the dorm area.  
"Let's not waste time in this goddamn school, let's hit the city!"  
"You want to go there?"  
"Yeah! You planned something else?"

Oh, right, he didn't think about the exact place.  
"No, not much. Let's go to the city."  
She continued to drag him by the arm to the city.

"Kay, we do what now?"  
She seemed eagerly excited.   
"Hmm... We could go for a-"  
"Shopping!!"  
"W-why so suddenly..?"  
"There's a discount on so many shops! I can't let that go!!"  
She grabbed his arm and dragged him around again.   
He was used to it anyway.

Natsumi brought him to an apparel shop, where she got to look at dresses and skirts and tell how pretty or "fucking ugly" (sic) they were.  
She got sparkles in her eyes when she took a glance at a specific dress.  
"It's sooooo pretty!! It's perfect for a date!!"  
She faced him again while putting the dress over her clothes.  
"What do you think about it Kazuki?"

He was absolutely speechless. Just imagining her in that dress made him blush.  
"T-t-try it I-I-I guess..."  
She rushed to the changing rooms in the back of the shop before he could add anything else.

His admiration even furthered when he saw her actually wearing the dress.  
She was so beautiful words could not describe it.  
"What do you think 'bout it?"

He could barely blutter his words.  
"B-buy it."

She grinned at his reaction.  
"I'm so buying it."

They stopped at a café later on.   
Of course, Natsumi took time to change clothes in a bathroom.  
How was he supposed to cope with all of this when she was just too pretty for him to speak correctly?

"Kay so, you said you had something special to tell me. What is it?"  
"N-not here...!"  
"You're that shy? Damn!"  
Easier said than done, indeed...

"O-okay Natsumi, you... You promise you're not screaming about it everywhere..."  
"Wow, you're pretty secretive about it dude. You're about to reveal your-totally-not-obvious crush on Asahina?"  
"Wait, what?!"  
"Or maybe it's on Midorin. Too bad she's gay."  
"I'm not in love with Mei and even less with Midorin!!"

"So what it's about? Tell me!"  
He was redder than the reddest of tomatos now. Fucking father to make him look so red.  
"W-well... I-it's harder to do than think 'bout it..."

He wanted to dig his face into his hands.  
Actually, he did and she tried to pull them apart.  
"Oh c'mon! Just tell me!!"  
He felt more and more flustered at each inch his hands were going apart.

Once his face was totally revealed, she got even closer to his face.  
"Tell me!!"  
Little did they both know she was going to fall over from the other side of the table.  
Of all the places where they could have landed, her lips landed on his.  
Straight out of a sappy romance novel.

As dumb as it was, he didn't push her off or anything.  
And she didn't break apart either.

When they finally got out of breath did they get apart.  
"So, huh... You... You wanted to say what...?"  
"That I... I love you..."

Natsumi blushed (even more than she did before), grinned and pulled him to her again.  
"...I knew it..."  
Then she kissed him once more.

The euphoria man.   
"So, huh... Natsumi... Would you...?"  
"Date you? Of course you idiot!"

That went far better than he had expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so that was it for In Hot Waters! I hope y'all enjoyed, you Kazumi trashcans. It was really fun to write it for the Naeggnog Drinkers server!  
> I really want to thank Morg who went out of their way to help me write their OCs, encouraging me and most of all giving me silly ideas to put in there.  
> The Google search and "you're sicker than I thought" line belong to them and I love them for it holy shit.


End file.
